Toshiko's Trip
by Laimelde
Summary: An alien device sends Toshiko on an unexpected adventure.. set pre-season one.
1. Chapter 1

**This was supposed to be a one-shot.. oops! The bunnies ran away with me!**

**This came from a dream; I don't remember what happened in it, but I woke up with one of Jack's lines echoing through my head and couldn't let it go. The story just sort of fell into place around it. Plus I love Tosh and this adventure seemed to suit her. Hope you like it!**

**Spoilers: Vague references to TW: Everything Changes, To The Last Man, and Children of Earth, and DW: Waters of Mars. But mostly you'd have to know what I'm talking about already in order to realise that they're actual references and not just details I've invented..  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or setting but the plot is mine.**

**Please R&R?  
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The hub was settling down after lunch. There had been some rift activity in the morning, but the afternoon looked quiet. Suzie was working on some pet project in her corner. Owen was tidying up the medical bay after a Weevil autopsy. Jack and Ianto were in Jack's office, Ianto taking minutes for a conference call Jack was conducting with UNIT officials.

Toshiko was at her workstation, trying to hurry through entering details for the new object. She and Suzie had picked it up after the small rift spike, and it fascinated her. She couldn't wait to try and figure out what it did. It was a white rectangular box, with slightly curved edges, and about the size of a thick paperback novel. It had what appeared to be buttons on top, with symbols and labels in an unknown script. Owen had said it looked like an obese Wii remote, though the buttons were flat, set into the surface of the object instead of sticking out above it.

But procedure demanded she enter it into the system first, along with a visual description, details of where and when it was found, and what protocols had been followed in handling it. In this case, it had been scanned for all kinds of radiation, life signs, biological matter of any sort, and sonic frequencies. There had been a minor reading for radiation, though the hand-held scanner they used at the scene couldn't tell them what type it was, only that it wasn't strong enough to be harmful. It was room temperature, and they had avoided touching it by hand, using tongs to move it into a containment box before heading back to the hub.

Tosh finished entering the initial details into the system, and turned to study object eagerly. She wished the alien translation device worked on written text -no doubt knowing what the symbols and words meant would be a huge help in figuring out what the device was.

First thing to address though, that radiation reading. She used the tongs again to lift the item out of the containment box and placed it in the hub's full-size hyperspectral scanner. She fiddled with the settings, and started the scan.

Immediately, she was blinded by bright light and pain ripped through her head. She screwed her eyes shut, hands pressed to her temples, and thought she cried out but couldn't hear anything. Then there was a sensation like falling and she landed heavily on her side.

She was winded and struggled to take a breath, still lying on her side with her eyes shut. Her head was pounding painfully, and the floor was cold beneath her. She lay still, trying to recover. After a minute, her head cleared just enough for her to wonder why the others hadn't come to her aid yet. Maybe she hadn't cried out, and they hadn't seen the flash of light.

"Owen? Jack?" she called. No response. She attempted to open her eyes, and found that it was dark around her. No, wait -there was a dim red light on the other side of the room, several metres away. She realised the floor beneath her was metal sheeting, and attempted to sit up as her confused mind tried to work it out. The action made her head hurt worse and she groaned. Her vision was blurry but she knew with a sinking feeling: she was not in the hub anymore.

Tosh slowly managed to get her bearings without moving her head too quickly. The room was about 4 metres square, with several large wooden crates stacked neatly against both side walls. The far wall had a door in the centre. She shuffled slowly until she felt the back wall behind her, and then sagged against it. The pain was settling into a steady headache -nasty, but not quite migraine level. She sat still for a few minutes, willing it to recede further. Figuring out where she was and why would be easier then.

Suddenly, the room lit up with bright white lights and the door on the far side slid open. Two men stepped cautiously into the room, guns drawn. They spotted her immediately and pointed their weapons at her.

"Don't move!"

* * *

First Officer Alexis Stanton sat at her station, finishing yet another Captain's Log entry. She sighed. Technically, she was second-in-command after the the Captain, but she seemed to do little more than fill out the man's paperwork for him. She felt more like a PA than a ranking officer.

A pop-up on her screen interrupted her thoughts.

**New passenger detected. **

**Please enter details.**

Passenger ID:

Title:

Name:

Date of Birth:

Species:

Gender:

Occupation:

Home Planet:

Next of kin:

Please attach medical and other information files here.

Alexis gaped at the screen. There couldn't be a new passenger, they were in the middle of space. Must be an error. She opened the passenger statistics view, and sure enough, it now listed 57 people as being on board. But that couldn't be right! Switching programs, she brought up the bioscanner. Ostensibly, it was to be used for identifying alien species -and checking none had snuck on board without announcing themselves -but it would work well for this too. She ran the scan, and checked the results: 57 humans on board.

"What are you looking for, First Officer Stanton?" Alexis jumped, startled. The Captain was looking over her shoulder.

"The computer just detected a new passenger. Look," she said, pointing at the screen. "Fifty-seven!" The Captain frowned.

"Go to the 3D view," he ordered. She switched over. The Captain jabbed his finger at a lone dot in a storage room, two levels down. "There. Let's go."

Alexis switched on her comms as she raced down the hall, ordering the two nearest crew members to get there ahead of them. They were engineers, but everyone who worked here had weapons training and had been drilled in handling such situations. They were told to find and contain the stranger, then wait for herself and the Captain to arrive.

* * *

Toshiko was trying to keep her wits about her. She was in a strange place, with two strangers pointing guns at her, and whilst she was now able to move without dizziness, she was still finding the light too bright and her vision blurry. She squinted at her captors.

"What species are you?" one of them asked.

"Hu -human," she replied, bewildered.

"We can't take her word for it, Finn!" said the other man. "Too many aliens can disguise themselves as one of us."

"I know Grant, but it's standard to ask," Finn responded calmly. "And if the bioscanner tells us she's lying, we'll know she can't be trusted at all."

"Where am I?" asked Toshiko.

"We won't be answering any questions, sorry," said Grant pointedly. There was a pause.

"So, we're just hanging about here for the foreseeable future, then?" she asked sarcastically, then regretted it. Aggravating the people with the guns wasn't her usual sensible approach. She covered her eyes with one hand to try and get some relief from the blinding light.

"The Captain will be here any moment," said Finn. The other man chuckled darkly.

"And then you'll be in for it. No human and precious few aliens get the better of him."

True to Finn's word, footsteps could be heard striding down the hallway outside the room just moments later. Toshiko moved her hand and tried to see, but only made out that two figures had entered the room. She had to cover her eyes again as one of the figures approached and stopped in front of her.

"To-shi-ko Sa-to!" drawled a familiar accent, drawing out each syllable of her name. "I knew some bit of alien tech'd bring you back to me one day!"

"Jack!" she cried, and flung herself at him in relief. He caught her and held her tight, and murmured quiet reassurances in her ear. The others watched him in surprise.

"Alien tech?" said Finn, picking up the device sitting near where Toshiko had been. "This isn't alien, and it's decades old, at least." He was turning the device over curiously.

"It's alien where she's from," said Jack. "Come on, let's get you to the med bay."

* * *

Grant caught Finn's arm and held him back a moment as the Captain and First Officer helped the stranger walk down the hall.

"Did you just see what I just saw?" he asked, slightly awed.

"I think so," said Finn. "Unless I'm hallucinating. Did you see his face when he saw her?"

"Yeah, it was like.. delight. Joy. Happiness. I don't think I've ever seen him smile, let alone like that. Who do you think she is?"

"Old lover, maybe?"

"Must be."


	2. Chapter 2

Once they'd gotten Toshiko to the medical bay and the nurse had given her some painkillers, Tosh started to feel much better. Within a few minutes her vision finally cleared and she could look around properly. She was sitting on an examination table, Jack standing close beside her. First Officer Stanton stood at the end of the bed. She was a tall, strict-looking woman, with dark hair pulled back in a bun.

"OK, so would one of you like to explain what's going on?" she asked at last. Jack looked at Tosh and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, I was kinda hoping you could tell me," Tosh said nervously.

"OK, well let's start with basics," said Jack. "You're on the diplomatic expedition ship Bethune, on it's way to make contact with the Hath-"

"Uh, Captain?" Alexis interrupted. "Is it a good idea to be telling her all about the ship and our mission? Since she's not supposed to be here, how can we know she doesn't intend to try and stop the mission in some way?"

Alexis wasn't sure what kind of response she was expecting, but it definitely wasn't laughter. Her normally strict and straight-laced Captain burst out laughing, and the woman on the bed smiled openly. Alexis didn't see what was so funny, and she crossed her arms and waited.

"Sorry," said the Captain, recovering himself. "Let's start again. Toshiko, this is First Officer Alexis Stanton. She's second in command on this ship. Officer Stanton, this is Toshiko Sato, a very old friend of mine."

Toshiko and the First Officer nodded politely at each other, but something in Jack's voice caught Toshiko's attention.

"Jack?" she asked slowly. "Just how _old_ is our friendship?" Jack's grin faded, and he looked away. After a minute, Toshiko turned to Alexis instead.

"What year is this?"

Alexis looked confused. "2326."

Tosh gasped and looked back at Jack. "300 years?" Without warning Jack turned and enveloped Toshiko in a tight hug.

"Tosh, oh my Toshiko, how I miss you all," he whispered. Alexis started to feel a bit uncomfortable. The Captain she was used to never showed this much emotion. Thankfully he pulled back from the hug a minute later, having composed himself.

"OK, something fell through the Rift, and you accidentally activated it somehow," he supplied. Toshiko nodded. "What happened then?"

"Blinding bright light, and pain, so much pain in my head. Felt like I was falling and then I landed in the room where you found me."

"First Officer Stanton, I believe Engineering Officer Finn O'Neil picked up the device. Tell him to bring it here. Then go back to the bridge and take over until I return," Jack commanded. Alexis was actually relieved to have her bossy Captain give her an order. She saluted, then headed out. Jack turned back to Toshiko eagerly.

"How is everyone? How's Ianto?"

"Ianto?" Tosh looked confused. "He's fine, so is everyone else." Jack mentally kicked himself. He'd forgotten how long ago this had happened. He couldn't remember exactly when, actually..

"Jack? How come you're here? You don't look any different.." asked Tosh, sounding a little unsure of herself. Jack looked at her. There was curiosity, confusion, and a bit of nervousness. Understandable, Jack thought.

"Ah," he said. "So whenever you're from, you haven't discovered my little secret yet."

"Apparently not," she smiled, relieved there was an explanation coming.

"Well, it's kind of hard not to tell you now since you're seeing the proof in front of you. Basically, I can't die." Tosh looked at him sceptically.

"Not ever?"

"Not as far as I know."

"What if you get hurt? Shot, or injured, or sick?"

"I don't get sick, generally. If I get killed, then I die. But it's only temporary -I always wake back up again. And when I wake up, I'm good as new," he grinned. Tosh's eyes widened.

"How can that be possible? Are you even human?"

"Yes, I'm human. Something happened.. _so _long ago." Jack hated to think how long. "And it changed me, and now I can't die. But I'm still human in every other way." Jack gave Tosh a moment to think about this before deciding to change the subject.

"So when are you from?" he asked. "What's been happening lately?"

"Not much, same old, same old. A few rogue weevils each week. Owen's been autopsying any that end up dead, though I'm not sure what he's hoping to find. And Suzie's been working on her special project."

"Suzie?" Jack's eyebrows shot up. Tosh was from that far back?

Tosh gave him a curious look. "Yes, Suzie. You know, your second in command? Brilliant engineer and weapons specialist?"

"Yes, yes, I know who she is," smiled Jack, trying to put Tosh off her suspicious train of thought. "Which special project of hers is it this time?"

"She has several, does she? It's that metal glove she found in the archives. Though it doesn't appear to do anything. Obsessing over nothing if you ask me. And I've just been working on those rift equations a bit more. If it stays fairly quiet they'll be done in a few weeks, I think. Although," her eyes lit up, "we wake up Tommy Brockless again next week."

Jack laughed. Something occurred to Toshiko.

"Hey," she said. "you would know, wouldn't you? Does Tommy ever get to serve his purpose? Does he go back to his own time?" Jack's eyes darkened a little.

"Yes, yes he does. But I can't tell you anything else."

"No, that's fine, I understand," smiled Tosh. Just then, Finn arrived and knocked politely on the wall beside the open doorway. He was of average height and weight, with a shock of red hair and freckles, but these only served to make him look young and cheeky. Although right now, he was shifting nervously in the doorway.

"Captain? I have the device here."

"Good. We'll have to have a look at it and see about getting you home, Ms Sato." Jack was back in formal mode.

"Um, I've discovered some interesting details about it, Captain." Finn _was_ nervous. He'd never had to speak to the Captain for this long before, and the man's reputation was imposing.

"Go ahead, O'Neill."

"It appears to be a standard Transpod, sir. You know, the toy? I had one when I was a kid. Looks like this one's from a few years before mine -or about 20 years old, I'm guessing."

"But those are only short-range teleports," said Jack thoughtfully. "And they certainly can't move anything through _time_."

"Yes Captain, that's the interesting part. It appears to have had some heavy modifications done. I don't understand them at all, to be honest. And I was taking these apart in my teens, so it's a bit embarrassing actually." He smiled at Toshiko sheepishly. She smiled back.

"We don't need to understand it, Officer. What we need, is to be able to reverse it. Do you think you can do that?" Finn looked relieved.

"Absolutely Captain. That shouldn't be too difficult at all. Although, it needs a bit of work. The power cells are damaged beyond repair, and they don't make them like that anymore -we'll have to rewire it and replace them with something else. Also, I may be wrong, but it looks like the damage was done before it was used to get here?" Finn looked back and forth between the Captain and the woman on the bed, unsure who he should address.

"That's probably right," said Toshiko. "I expect it was damaged in the rift." Jack looked at her.

"So how did you activate it then?"

"I put it in the hyperspectral scanner to try and identify a minor radiation reading, but when the scan started it set it off."

"And it just happened to bring you here? Interesting," said Jack. "OK, O'Neill get to work on reversing the co-ordinates and finding a power source. Let me know when you have an ETA on completion."

"Yes Captain." Finn saluted and hurried away.

"As for you," Jack said, turning back to Toshiko. "I have to go back to the bridge for a while, but I'll get Stanton to take you down to the kitchens. How does that sound?"

Tosh smiled. "Sure."

* * *

In the kitchen, Tosh was able to help herself to a variety of meals, kept heated in a buffet-style setup. There were some things she didn't recognise, but on the whole it appeared that mass-produced catering hadn't changed that much. There was a creamy pasta, a stir-fried vegetables dish, and hot chips amongst other things. She helped herself and followed Alexis to a table. The room was otherwise empty, since it wasn't a meal time.

"So, First Officer Stanton, how long have you known Jack?"

"Please, call me Alexis -the impersonal titles are one of the few things I dislike about this job. Although I'll admit, it's odd to hear the Captain just called 'Jack'." Alexis looked much more friendly with a smile on her face.

Tosh laughed. "Is it that rare?"

"You have no idea. He's considered one of the sternest and most aloof people around. He doesn't make friends. Everyone knows his name and face, but none of us could claim to know who he is."

Tosh sobered at that. She thought about how much time had passed, how many people Jack must have met and known that were all now dead. She guessed it was understandable, albeit heartbreaking.

"That's a shame," she said sombrely, "because the Jack I know has such a huge capacity for love."

Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Love? Were you..?"

"Oh no," Tosh smiled, shaking her head. "But Jack's the biggest flirt around, he'll charm the pants off anyone he takes an interest in. And even though he goes into 'Captain mode' when he needs to, the truth is he loves and cares about us, his team."

"His team?"

"Torchwood. Torchwood Cardiff is his. It's just the five of us, but we manage."

"What does Torchwood do?" Alexis asked. Toshiko stopped, fork halfway to her mouth.

"You've never heard of Torchwood? Not even Torchwood London? The Battle of Canary Wharf?" Alexis shook her head. "But you guys deal with aliens and space.. don't you get taught about Earth's history regarding such matters?"

"Sure we do. First official alien contact was around, oh, I can't remember. Definitely before 2015, I'm sure. Somewhere round there. First Mars base established 2058. By 2100 it's a full-scale human colony."

"On Mars? Really?" Tosh's eyes were wide and Alexis laughed.

"So exactly when are you from?"

"2007."

"2007. Wow. You knew Jack in 2007?"

"Um, yeah," said Tosh, wondering what his current employees knew of his past. Did she just say something she shouldn't have? She decided to stick to safer topics, and enquired about the diplomatic mission they were on.

* * *

Jack was back in his role of forbidding leader in the control room. Being the strict, aloof Captain that everyone feared and respected was a role he'd been playing for a long time now. It made it easy to keep people at arm's length, and keeping people at arm's length made it easier to deal with their loss. Whether they died or simply moved on didn't matter, it was still a loss, but if he didn't know them well, it couldn't hurt as much. He still cared for his people. Whether it was a team of five or a whole crew of 55, they were working for him and he cared about their welfare. But he didn't let them see it.

So he was striding about the control room now, checking over his officers' shoulders and asking for the latest reports in his commanding voice. Alexis and Toshiko entered quietly at the back of the room and watched. Tosh had been curious to see how Jack worked now. Receiving efficient brief reports from each person he asked, the Captain moved back to the centre of the room, facing the large screens of data on the walls. He stood very straight, hands behind his back. Noticing something on one screen, he barked an order and received a prompt "Yes, Captain!" from one of the people sitting at the monitors. The Captain never looked away from the screens, constantly checking as data updated in real time. Toshiko took a moment to be impressed by the systems. There was so much she could learn here, if only she could stay a while.

Jack noticed some of his staff at one side of the room, stealing glances towards the back. He looked around and spotted Toshiko and his First Officer standing by the door. Resisting the urge to immediately smile at Toshiko, he walked over. Alexis stood to attention as he approached.

"First Officer Stanton, you can take over here again. If anything urgent comes up, I'll be in my quarters."

"Yes, Captain. Are there any maintenance activities or checks you needed done?"

"No, we're all up to date for now. Just log updates."

"Of course. Captain." She nodded and moved into the room. Jack opened the door for Tosh.

"After you, Ms Sato."


	3. Chapter 3

He took her down to his quarters, which turned out to be a small suite. The main room had a round table with three chairs and a kitchenette. There was a screen set into one wall, which Jack promptly turned on. There were two doors leading into other rooms: bedroom and bathroom, Toshiko guessed.

Jack fiddled with the buttons beside the screen until data readouts resembling those in the control room appeared. Toshiko couldn't understand any of it, and it surprised her.

"Jack, if it's only been 300 years, how come I can't read any of that? I don't even recognise the script!"

Jack moved back from the screen and smiled at her consternation. He couldn't risk showing any more emotion in front of his crew -what Stanton and the two engineers had seen earlier was more than enough -but now they were in private, so he relaxed.

"It's an alien language. There are species out there willing to help out us puny humans. They shared with us some of their technologies. This ship is entirely Earth-made, from Earth materials, but it was based on the plans and technologies of another race. When they taught us to use their technology, they had to teach us to read their language too. So now it's standard on all our space vessels. And some other things -like that toy that brought you here."

Tosh nodded. That made sense. Jack motioned for her to take a seat and they sat down. He poured them each a glass of water, then realised he didn't know what to say to Tosh.

"So.. anything you want to ask? How are you liking your glimpse of the 24th century?" he grinned.

"It's fascinating," said Tosh enthusiastically. "I wish I could stay and learn more."

"I wish you could stay longer too, but it's really not a good idea. For several reasons," Jack replied.

"I know. Alexis said it could be a diplomatic problem for the mission if there's more people on board than the Hath were expecting."

"Yes, not to mention there's always people questioning me and my motives," Jack sighed. "I was one of several people considered to head up this mission, and I was the outside chance. The others were all high-ranking military officers, mostly with other diplomatic excursions under their belts, so it was a surprise to them when I was chosen. Some of my crew still think I shouldn't be here. The appearance of a stranger on board, out of the blue, and one that happens to know me, will not go down well."

Toshiko grimaced. "Sorry."

"Don't be -not your fault at all."

"So why were you chosen then?"

"I've dealt with the Hath before. I proved I had better knowledge of their customs." Tosh nodded, and they fell silent for a moment.

"Jack?" asked Toshiko. "You knew I was coming, didn't you?" She suddenly remembered what he'd said when he first found her in the storage room.

Jack grinned. "Yep. Well, sort of. I didn't know exactly when."

"How?"

"Because you told me. Back in.." he couldn't remember what year.

"2007," Tosh supplied.

"2007, right. When you get back, you tell me about being here. Not the others, mind," he narrowed his eyes at Toshiko in warning. "Knowing the future is a dangerous thing. Don't let them know that you were transported anywhere. Just fill me in later, when we're alone. OK?"

"OK. I promise," said Tosh sincerely. Jack suddenly grinned.

"I know you will. You already did."

A chime sounded in the room. Jack reached over to the data monitor and pressed a button. Finn's face appeared.

"Captain, I hope I'm not interrupting?" Finn was almost stammering in nervousness.

"Not at all. What have you got?"

"I've had some good luck. The coordinates have been reversed, that was straightforward, and I just have to finish with the power source -should only be another 20 minutes or so."

"Excellent. Let me know when it's done, and we'll meet back in the storage bay." Finn looked surprised.

"The storage bay? It should work from wherever.."

"Yes, but there is more space in there than in my quarters or the med bay, and I'd rather somewhere more private than the rec rooms or the bridge. So the storage bay will work fine."

"Yes, Captain." Finn disappeared from the screen. Jack rummaged around in a drawer underneath the monitor, emerging with a pen and paper.

"I seem to remember receiving a note from myself. So I had better take a few minutes to write one, hmm?" he smiled at Tosh.

"Can I look around, while I wait?" she asked. He thought about it, then leaned over to the monitor and pressed some buttons again. A view of the back wall and ceiling of the bridge came up.

"First Officer Stanton?"

Alexis moved into view.

"Captain?" she asked.

"Everything quiet there?"

"Yes sir, no problems at all."

"Good, put Officer Novak in charge and come down to my quarters."

"Yes, sir." He switched the screen back off.

"Once upon a time," said Toshiko carefully, "that would have been a proposition."

"Sorry?"

"'Come down to my quarters'."

"Oh." Jack ran a hand through his hair and looked weary. "It's easier this way. Once, flirting with everyone and everything was a coping strategy. But sometimes people got in. Nobody gets in now." He looked at Tosh. "Just seeing you, having all those memories brought up again.. I'm probably going to have trouble sleeping the next few weeks."

"Is my death that bad?" asked Toshiko with concern. Concern for herself, and concern for Jack. Jack carefully maintained a blank face as he remembered that day, and everything else that had happened back then.

"No death is good," he said eventually. He was relieved by a knock at the door and stood to answer it.

"Captain," said Alexis.

"Stanton, I want you to take Toshiko on a tour of the ship. The device that brought her here will be ready to take her home in 10 or 15 minutes, and I have something else I need to do before then."

"Certainly sir."

"Sound good?" Jack asked, turning back to Toshiko.

"Sounds great!" she grinned.

"Right, well keep it to the interesting parts, Stanton, and be back in 10."

"Yes sir."

Alexis and Toshiko left and Jack closed the door behind him, then sat back down and began to write.

* * *

"So, it's not that big a ship, really," said Alexis. They had seen the crew quarters and the recreation rooms, the loading bay and the access passage back to the storage rooms where Toshiko had arrived. They had wandered past the medical bay and the bridge, and Alexis had pointed down a corridor which led to the engineering deck and the emergency escape pods. Now they were sitting in the kitchen again.

"How many people are on board?" asked Toshiko.

"Fifty-six right now. Or fifty-seven including you. She can operate at maximum with thirty, but this is a long mission so we have an extra shift. It means everyone gets a whole day off once every few days. And she can take up to sixty people. We've got some on board at the moment that are diplomats, for when we arrive." Toshiko nodded in understanding.

"We had better be getting back, I suppose. Jack will be waiting."

Alexis hesitated.

"Toshiko.."

"Yes?" Toshiko paused, then sat back down.

"You say the Captain used to be.. well, you know.. normal? Friendly? Nice? Sorry," she shook her head, "I'm not putting this well, am I?"

Toshiko smiled. "I get what you mean. And yes, he was just like anyone else. Although even then, he didn't talk about himself, or his past." A thought occurred to her. "I wonder how old he really is. If he's immortal, he could have been around for a long time before I met him."

Alexis shrugged. "I didn't even know he was around in your time. It's well-known that he's.. different. Anyone working on his crew, or any high-ranking officials, would know that he has lived far longer than he should have. But it's all in rumours. So I was only guessing 150 years or so, from things I've heard about. You're telling me that he's over 300, and possibly much more."

"Wow. And yet he looks just the same as when I knew him. I can't imagine it."

"Neither can I. But I was wondering.. do you think there's anything I can do for him?"

"Like what?" asked Tosh.

"Well, most people just assume he's an arrogant sod, but after seeing him with you earlier, I think it's all an act. I think he's lonely. I wondered if maybe you knew how to get through to him. I think he could use a friend."

Toshiko nodded. "I agree. It can't be healthy to keep everyone at arm's length like that, let alone doing it for decades or centuries at a time. But I really wouldn't know how. Just.. be a friend?" she suggested. "Do things outside your duties, as favours? Be a quiet companion when things are tough? That sort of thing. I don't know if it would work," she sighed, "but it's certainly worth a try."

"Yeah, it is. Thanks Toshiko." Alexis stood up. "We'd better go -ten minutes are definitely up now."

Jack was waiting outside his quarters when they approached.

"There you are -I was thinking I'd have to organise a search party. Come on, O'Neill is waiting in the storage bay."


	4. Chapter 4

They arrived to find Finn already waiting for them. He seemed a bit more sure of himself than before, though he was still eager to ensure he didn't mess up in front of the Captain. Now that she knew that most of the crew only knew Jack by reputation and rumour, the engineering officer's behaviour made a lot more sense to Tosh.

"Good to go, Officer O'Neill?" asked Jack.

"Yes Captain. It's a bit bulkier than when it arrived," he said apologetically to Toshiko, "but it will work. The coordinates will return you to the same time and place you left, so it'll be like you were never gone." The device was indeed bulkier, having been taped to something black, roughly the size of a shoebox, with wires running from one to the other. Toshiko quickly deduced that it was the new power source.

"Jack," she said. "We never did figure out why it brought me here in the first place." She glanced between the Captain and the younger man. "Were there coordinates set, or was it coincidental? I'd hate to think what would have happened if I'd ended up somewhere random."

"I think I can answer that," said Finn. "There weren't any coordinates set for the location, so it should have kept you in the same place, and moved only in time. But if the place where you had been no longer exists, it may have picked something -or someone -nearby to lock onto. I assume the Captain was nearby when it happened?" He looked between them and they nodded. He smiled, relieved to have been right. "Right, so it probably locked onto the Captain as a default destination."

"Wait, the hub no longer exists?" asked Tosh in alarm. "What happened?"

Jack frowned. "We were attacked. A bomb.. the hub was destroyed, completely." He saw Tosh's face. "Don't worry, everyone got out. No one died in there." Except me, he thought, but Tosh didn't need to know that. Nor the two officers behind him. "And anyway," he continued, "that was after your time. Nothing for you to worry about."

Tosh nodded, appeased. "So how do I activate this thing?" Finn stepped forward and pointed at two buttons.

"Hold this one to allow the power through, and this one to activate it. That's all there is to it."

"So simple," Tosh mused.

"It _was_ once a child's toy," grinned Finn. Tosh smiled, then looked at Jack.

"So, this is it, then?"

Jack looked round at his two crew. "Can you give us a minute?"

"Of course," said Alexis, and indicated to Finn that he should move back to the doorway with her. Jack grabbed Tosh in a tight hug.

"I'm going to miss you," he said, in a voice quiet but filled with emotion. "This is the last time I'll ever see any of you from those days. Unless someone had an adventure they _didn't _tell me about," he smiled with a hint of humour, "but I don't think that's likely. Here, take this." He gave a note to her and she tucked it securely into her top. "Give it to me after the others have left. And don't tell them where you've been, remember."

Tosh smiled. "I won't. But promise me something in return."

"What's that?"

"Don't just exist. Live. If you have to be here, then at least live. When you enjoy life, those around you enjoy life, so you'll be doing everyone a favour."

Jack's face fell. "Tosh, you don't know what you're asking."

"I think I have a small idea, Jack. And I know it must hurt, a lot. But if you don't, you're cutting yourself off from all that makes us human. Already you have people like that poor man over there who are terrified of your very name. I'm worried about what you might become if you continue this way."

Jack nodded, though still looking miserable. "I'll think about it. I'll do my best." Tosh couldn't expect much more than that. She reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

"We all love you Jack, and we always will." She stepped back, and nodded to Finn and Alexis in the background. "Take care of him for me."

She pressed the two buttons Finn had shown her, and disappeared in a flash of white light.

Jack didn't move. A minute later, Alexis touched him on the arm, and was surprised to see a tear streak down his face.

"Come back to your quarters, Captain. Novak can handle the bridge for a while." He nodded and allowed himself to be led from the room.

And later, when their crewmates wanted to know the gossip, Alexis and Finn refused to speak about the matter.

* * *

There was a flash of bright, white light, and pain ripped through Toshiko's head, again. A moment later she hit the ground heavily, _again_. She groaned.

"Tosh?"

"Toshiko?"

Jack and Owen came running over immediately, joined a moment later by Suzie. Toshiko could feel Owen rolling her onto her back and looking for any signs of injury.

"Where does it hurt Tosh?" he asked.

"Whoa Tosh, what on earth did you do to the device?" asked Suzie. "What is this black thing?"

"Don't touch it!" said Jack, then turned to Ianto who was coming up behind him. "Ianto, containment box." Ianto nodded and quickly moved away.

Tosh was relieved to find the pain was much less than it had been the first time. Her head was pounding but she wasn't dizzy and her vision was only a little blurry. She sat up and pushed Owen away.

"I'm fine, just.. headache," she said. Owen huffed.

"I'll be the judge of that. You might have concussion. Come down to my office and let me check it out."

Ianto had returned with the containment box, and Suzie carefully -wearing gloves -placed the whole altered device in it. Tosh nearly laughed and told them it was safe to handle, but realised she wouldn't be able to tell them how she knew without explaining everything. And she'd promised Jack.

A short while later, Owen had given her painkillers and declared her healthy. She made her way up from the autopsy bay to Jack's office.

"Jack, I need to speak to you."

He looked up at her with concern.

"What about? Are you alright?"

She nodded. "It's about earlier, with the device. It was more than just a bright light, it was a teleport. I met you in the future."

Jack's eyebrows raised in surprise, then lowered again as he realised the implications. "How far in the future?" he asked.

"More than 300 years."

"Right." Jack stood and went to the doorway of his office. "Alright people, it's looking quiet for the rest of today, go home and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Really Jack?" asked Suzie. "It's only four o'clock, I could get some more done on-"

"Go home, Suzie." Suzie looked annoyed, but grabbed her bags. "I don't know what it is with her lately," said Jack thoughtfully. "She's almost obsessing over that glove.." he turned back to Toshiko as the other three vanished through the cog door.

"Actually, you had an interesting reaction when I mentioned Suzie," said Toshiko thoughtfully.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, surprised, kind of like.. she wasn't one of the people you thought I would mention. I wondered if maybe she's the first one of us to.. you know.. go."

Jack nodded. "Maybe. We all know Torchwood employees don't have a long life expectancy."

"Except you."

"Yes, well, that's a bit different. How much did I tell you?"

"That you're immortal, but otherwise human."

"Ah." There was a pause."OK, tell me the basics of what happened, but try to avoid details about myself. It's not good to know too much about your own future."

Toshiko nodded. "You were in space, on a ship, along with the rest of the ship's crew. One of the engineers was able to reverse the coordinates on the device to send me home again, but the power supply was ruined and he had to rig up a new one -thus the black box now attached to it." Jack nodded. "It took a few hours to be fixed, so I got to chat with you a bit, and when you had to, uh, work, one of the other crew members got me some food and took me on a tour of the ship." Jack was impressed. He must be a ranking officer if he could permit a stranger to be toured around the ship. He realised Toshiko was still talking, going on in wonder about the technological systems. He smiled. Of course she would have loved that.

"But I couldn't understand any of it, it was all in an alien language apparently," she finished, a little disappointed. "So I didn't really learn anything at all."

"Was there anything else?" he asked. "Anything I should know?"

"Yes.. well, no." Toshiko was torn. She wanted to warn him that the hub gets destroyed, and ask why he had singled out Ianto when asking how everyone was earlier, and ask him how old he really was. But she knew better. Mentioning the hub's destruction or that Ianto seems to become important to him might change the future. Then she remembered the letter.

"Here, you gave me this to give to you." She pulled it out and held it for Jack to take. He looked at it warily.

"I don't know if.."

"The future you only wrote this because he said he remembered receiving it."

"Oh," said Jack. "In that case.." He took the letter and opened it.

_Dear younger me,_

_I've written this in the script of our home colony, partially to avoid prying eyes and partially so you can trust the sender. Since in both our times, the Boeshane Peninsula colony does not yet exist, it narrows down the number of options rather reliably._

_I have looked forward to this day, to Toshiko's visit, ever since she first returned from it and informed me what had happened. And it has been as wonderful and as heartbreaking to see her as I expected. So many years, so many memories._

_Obviously I had to tell her about not being able to die. I won't tell you what to do about it now that she's back in her own time -trust your instincts, because I already know which choice you'll make, and I can assure you, it turns out fine._

_Trust yourself._

Jack knew which choice he'd make, and knowing his older, hopefully wiser self still approved, made it that much easier. He looked up at Tosh.

"How's your head feeling now?"

"It's still a little sore. I'm mostly just feeling tired now though. The stuff they gave me on the ship is probably still helping too." Jack nodded -there was the opening he'd been looking for.

"I've written here that you should be put to bed as soon as possible, and not left alone for the first night. Something about the drugs they gave you earlier. I'll get you a sleeping tablet and you can sleep here tonight."

"Ok," said Tosh.

Jack went and got them each a glass of water whilst Tosh sat down on the couch and waited. He pulled a pill out of his pocket and dissolved it in one of the glasses. He took them back to his office and gave Tosh the tainted one, along with a tablet. She swallowed it, then finished the glass.

"Jack," she said after a minute. "I'm going to repeat something I said to you in the future, in the hopes that it will sink in better if you hear it twice."

Jack looked at her with a combination of curiosity and confusion.

"Don't just exist. Live. If you have to be here, then at least live. When you enjoy life, those around you enjoy life, so you'll be doing everyone a favour. And I know it must hurt, a lot. But if you don't, you're cutting yourself off from all that makes us human." Jack frowned. What did he become in the future, to need to be told that? Tosh was getting drowsy now. "And Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"We all love you Jack, and we always will." Toshiko snuggled down into the couch a bit as she fell asleep. Jack sat down on the edge of the couch and kissed her forehead.

"Forgive me, Tosh," he whispered to the sleeping woman. "I'm not ready to have you know my secrets just yet."


End file.
